Year of Projects: A Dilemma

So I have a major dilemma. If you've read my previous posts, you know that I'm working on a skirt for A Year of Projects. I've been working on it now for about 3+ weeks and have already had to frog and re-do part of it.

I've had an odd feeling about the skirt pattern as I've been going along and my pleat has been getting bigger and bigger. Now, the pattern is horribly written, in one giant run on paragraph. So, that being said...Umm yeah, I realized I’m making it all wrong. I should have checked on it again when I was questioning my pleat. I’m working the pattern backward (which isn’t hard to do with all garter stitch) so that my pleat is where the top should be. Does that make sense? So anyway, I considered frogging the whole thing, but that kills me, as I love how it is so far. There are a few options other than completely frogging and I wanted your feedback.

I can:

A) Frog all (not really an option in my mind right now)
B) Keep going and have really big pleats, which might actually turn out cute, but I won’t know until a LOT of work has been done
C) Ripe out about 20+ rows to make the pleat a little smaller. I think I would keep it bigger than the pattern calls for but it would be a little smaller than it is now.

With B and C, I’ll need more yarn, but luckily one of the lovely ladies at my Monday night knitting group has one skein of the same dye lot as mine (the yarn is Knit Picks Stroll Tonal in Thunderhead), and was kind enough to offer it to me and I can buy her a new skein when they get it back in stock (it’s out of stock right now). So that isn’t a huge issue anymore.

What would you do?

Moving on...

Monday is the start of the August-September Candy Skein KAL/CAL!! I was going to do Springtime Bandit since it was on my YoP list to start, but I've decided to swap that with Dane. I'll be using this yarn, Candy Skein Delicious Fingering in Blueberry Sorbet:

I can't wait to get started. I'll need to wind the yarn this weekend so I'm ready to go. The perfect part is, I may need a little help starting (as I did my Age of Brass and Steam shawlettte) and I have my Knitting group the night of the start date!

With all of that (not) going on this weekend, or at least until I can decide what to do with my skirt, I may start one of the Christmas presents I have on my list. Socks! We'll see how it goes. :)

FO Friday 45

Happy Friday! To be honest, I almost forgot about this post! I was busy dyeing tons of yarn today, and have great new colorways to share on Monday (on the Candy Skein website/Ravelry group) and on Tuesday here on the blog. It's all Yummy fingering, some kettle dyed and a few hand painted! The new colors will inspire you to think toward your Autumn knitting.

Not much is going on this weekend for me. We were thinking of going to Los Angeles, but my husband has been a little under the weather. That gives me time to work on my skirt, trying to get a little further on it so I can start my Candy Skein KAL shawl. More on that later!

My swap partner hasn't received her swap package yet, so I don't want to give too much away. I decided to share this picture, of the little guy smelling the one bloom (so far) on my gardenia bush. It doesn't show too much. Come back next Friday when I can share more pics of him!

I promise to post Sunday for Year of Projects! I've been pretty bad about writing dedicated posts for it.

Share your FOs!

Work-in-Progress Wednesday 51

Happy Wednesday everyone!!! It's hump day, so don't get too excited, as we still have a few days until the weekend. Speaking of weekends, how did Comic Con go you ask? Splendid (see below, especially if you're a Doctor Who fan)!

That's right, me with the Tardis. WITH THE TARDIS!!! It even lit up and made the Tardis sound. If you don't think that's cool, check out my next picture.

Who is that, you ask? Well, I'll give you a few guess, but it shouldn't take long. That's right...MATT SMITH AND KAREN GILLAN (though she got totally cut off by the stupid guy standing in front of her, BUT you can see her profile kind of.)

Not the best photos in the world, but the ones I got closer were blurry as people were knocking into me. It was mad. If you'd like to watch the interview they were giving while I took this pic, you can watch it here. I wanted to go to the Doctor Who panel on Sunday, but people were already lining up at 12pm Saturday afternoon for the 12:30pm Sunday afternoon start time. Insanity. Matt and Karen were actually handing out Tardis burritos to those in line around midnight. So so awesome.

Okay, this IS a WIPW post, so I better get to it.



Why doesn't the skirt look any bigger you ask? Is it ACTUALLY smaller than last week, you ask? Why yes, yes it is, or maybe around the same. That's because I took it to my sister's house last week while watching my nieces. Garter stitch with short rows, how hard could it get? Well, apparently when a 2 year old gets tangled in the yarn while getting down from the couch when my head is turned, promptly pulling off several stitches from the needles...very hard. I realized at the time of panic, that I don't know how to fix dropped garter stitches. I didn't realize I did it wrong until I had already knit several rows more. I took it to a friend the next day who's in my knitting group (and works at one of my LYS) to see if she could drop down and fix it, but alas, I had screwed it up too much. Not only did I fix it wrong, I twisted stitches when trying to put them back on, as well as knitted too many rows. Once she dropped down to fix my mistakes, she couldn't successfully pick them back up without it looking like...well, crap. So, I sat as I watched her frog to the point of the problem (which was okay since she was doing it. I didn't have the strength to frog that much). I also had a little other mistake that was fixed with the frogging, so no biggie. I hope to get jamming on this again, but I've had to finish my swap monster.

That's all I'm currently/actively on. Can you believe it? August 1st I'll have to start my shawl for the Candy Skein KAL/CAL, so I'm kind of holding off starting something new. That doesn't mean I'm itching to get something new on the needles! Then again, I have a few WIPs that I've put down and haven't picked up recently. Maybe I should finish those before even thinking of starting something else (other than the KAL shawl).

Friday I'll have the monster to share, if my swap partner gets it in time. If not, I'll have to share it next week. :(

Don't forget, next Wednesday is week 52, a WHOLE YEAR OF WIPW! Look for something special to turn up.

Please remember to use the new link to your post from this week, overriding the one that Mr. Linky saves from the previous. I've had quite a few links still linking to their old posts, or links that go straight to their blog's URL instead of the actual posts URL. Thanks!

For those that are new to WIPW, to share your WIPW post with us, just fill out the Mr. Linky below. Despite it saying you must comment, don't feel as if you do. That is something Mr. Linky automatically adds. I just ask you to check out a few of the links posted to see what everyone else is working on and comment there if you can. Everyone loves feedback and a little encouragement on their projects! Also, please link back to this post in your post to get the word out! The more the merrier!

Candy Skein- Yummy Worsted Weight & More!

Hi everyone! I hope you had a great weekend! I know I did. I have pictures to share, and if you're a Doctor Who fan, you should check back this week (not sure when I'll post the pics)...hint hint.

I only have a few skeins of worsted to show you today, one set was a custom dye for Alea for the Candy Skein KAL that starts August 1st. The other is two skeins of the same dye lot of Brain Freeze, which is for sale.

The next few weeks/months will bring big things for Candy Skein. Some of them I can't share yet, but I can share that I have ordered a HUGE order of yarn that will be arriving for dyeing in about a month. I will have two new lines of yarn, one is a surprise, that I will share at a later date, and the other is the Ripening series. You may remember how I dyed a skein of Yummy DK awhile ago. I plan to have a line of yarn of dyed skeins just like that one, in many different colors. The base won't be Yummy DK, but something fun and exciting I can't wait to share with you (but I will say it is DK weight).

I received 10 skeins of Yummy Fingering weight yesterday, so if you are interested in a custom dye, please let me know. I will be dyeing several of these this week, and will share them with you next week!

That's it for now, time to share this week's new skeins:



This was a custom dye for Alea. She requested three skeins of Blueberry Sorbet in Yummy worsted weight. I dyed them a little darker than normal, as she liked the dark blue portions of the normal Blueberry Sorbet dye lot. I really like how they came out!








Next up I have two skeins (from the same dye lot) of Yummy worsted in Brain Freeze.

Colorway: Brain Freeze
Series: Yummy
Fiber content: 100% Merino Wool Superwash
Weight: Worsted/10 ply
Yardage: 220 yards
Unit Weight: 100 grams
Care: Machine Wash/Tumble Dry Low

Price: $14
Quantity Available: 2 (from the same dye lot)
Available at Candy Skein

FO Friday 44

Happy Friday! I have a busy weekend ahead, but fun. Comic Con is this weekend, and I think we'll be going for a few hours on Saturday. We haven't decided and at this point have been to it so many times, we don't stay too long. I get a little uncomfortable in crazy crowds, and if you've ever been to Comic Con, you understand why I don't hang out days on end. I feel like a sheep being herded. On Saturday night, we're hanging out with a few tiki friends on Sunday, we're driving up to Huntington Beach to another tiki event. As I said, it should be fun but crazy busy. We'll see if I survive!

Now to FO Friday!

As for the sake of Year of Projects, this is my first completed project from the list. I forgot to blog this past Sunday, so I'm counting this post as this week's.

I bought the buttons for my cowl this week. I went with wood ones, that are a little smaller than I would have liked, but for the size of my buttonholes, these were as big as I could go without having issues. Overall, I love it. The colors are great, and I think the wood of the buttons really bring the orange color out in the yarn. I can't wait to wear it. Unfortunately, I live where it doesn't get too cold, so may have to wait until we go up to the snow on vacation, or on cold rainy days at home.

I also like how it's a little big. It makes it a little less claustrophobic feeling, as I can imagine some cowls are. That was one reason why I had been hesitant to make a cowl up until this point.


Materials Used:
Size US 8 needles
Malabrigo Worsted (colorway: Plena)
Pattern: Pedestrian Crossing Cowl
5 wood buttons

This is the cowl unbuttoned

This is the cowl buttoned

And here I am wearing it. I thought it would be odd if I was in a tank top and cowl, so I put on my jacket. Let me tell you, I was SO HOT, as it was about 80 degrees F in my house.

Share your FOs!

Work-in-Progress Wednesday 50

I have to admit, when I just wrote the title of this post "Work in progress Wednesday 50" I almost had a heart attack. 50, the big 50. Holy crap, when did that happen? Now, I know I seem to bring this up each week, but can you believe it? We've been participating in WIPW for ALMOST A YEAR. That's right, in two weeks it will be a year and I'm so proud that I have yet to miss a week. Let me just pat myself on the back for a moment. ;)

Okay then. I'm going to say this, we need to do something special for WIPW 52, or should it be WIPW 53, because that's the start one the new WIPW year? I plan to do some kind of giveaway (I've been thinking about it, but have been in denial that it's so close now), but I'm not 100% sure what yet. I also plan to do a special giveaway/celebration for the year anniversary of Tami's Amis, which is coming up on August 2nd. You should expect some Candy Skein yarn to be included, that's for sure!

Okay, now onto WIPW!




Again, I'm still working on my monster for the swap. Sorry to say, I still can't share it too much, but here is another ambiguous picture, just so you can believe me that I've been working on it. LOL I was afraid to do the feet, but once I got into it, I realized that it wasn't as hard as the instructions looked. Of course, I'm not finished with it, but so far, so good. For those asking last week what yarn I'm using, it's Knit Picks Chroma in Prism.






The skirt doesn't look like I've worked on it TOO much, but I have, honest! Though I've been focusing on the monster, I've been giving some time to the skirt, but the pleat takes forever because it's short rows. I'm almost done with the first pleat! YAY I really like this project, because it's pretty easy since it's just garter stitch and I don't really need to pay too much attention. As long as I remember (or can tell) which stitch is the wrap and turn, then I'm golden. It's great TV knitting. I will say though, I'll be working on this for awhile because it's in fingering weight. I should have just done worsted, even though the pattern calls for fingering. LOL

That's it for me this week! Hope everyone has a great day and I look forward to checking out all your projects.

Please remember to use the new link to your post from this week, overriding the one that Mr. Linky saves from the previous. I've had quite a few links still linking to their old posts, or links that go straight to their blog's URL instead of the actual posts URL. Thanks!

For those that are new to WIPW, to share your WIPW post with us, just fill out the Mr. Linky below. Despite it saying you must comment, don't feel as if you do. That is something Mr. Linky automatically adds. I just ask you to check out a few of the links posted to see what everyone else is working on and comment there if you can. Everyone loves feedback and a little encouragement on their projects! Also, please link back to this post in your post to get the word out! The more the merrier!

Candy Skein- Yummy and Delicious Fingering weight yarn!

I hope everyone had a great weekend. I saw Harry Potter and I think they did a great job wrapping up the series on screen. I will say, I was hoping they'd leave the epilogue out of the movie. I try and pretend that doesn't exist. LOL Thanks to everyone for sharing their thoughts about Harry and the whole series/movies on Friday in the comments. I loved reading them.


Back to yarn. I have a few skeins to share this week, but not many. I also have one un-dyed Yummy fingering left if anyone is interested in a custom dye in the next week or so, as well as 2 skeins of Yummy worsted I plan to dye this week. I will be getting a full box of Yummy fingering next Monday, but they won't be dyed until that week, shared with you the week after.

Also, don't forget the Candy Skein shawl KAL/CAL coming up August 1-September 15th. You're free to pick your pattern and join along. The only requirement is that the pattern be a shawl and you use Candy Skein yarn.

Colorway: Berry Slushie
Series: Yummy
Fiber content: 75% Falkland British Merino Wool, 25% Nylon Superwash
Weight: Fingering Weight
Yardage: 465 yards
Unit Weight: 100 grams
Care: Machine wash/Tumble dry low

Price: $16
Quantity Available: 1
Available at Candy Skein

Colorway: Raspberry and Cream
Series: Delicious
Fiber content: 70% Baby Alpaca, 20% Silk, 10% Cashmere
Weight: Light Fingering Weight
Yardage: 437 yards
Unit Weight: 100 grams
Care: Hand wash/Dry Flat

Price: $28
Quantity Available: 1
Available at Candy Skein

Colorway: Blueberry Sorbet
Series: Delicious
Fiber content: 70% Baby Alpaca, 20% Silk, 10% Cashmere
Weight: Light Fingering Weight
Yardage: 437 yards
Unit Weight: 100 grams
Care: Hand wash/Dry Flat

Price: $28
Quantity Available: 1
Available at Candy Skein

FO Friday 43 and My Thoughts on the End of an Era

Happy Friday! I'm ready for the weekend, but I must say, I'm not ready for Harry Potter to end. I know this is a knitting and crochet blog, but please bear with me.

Although I'm a little on the old side to say that I grew up with Harry Potter (I'll be 32 this year), it has been very much a part of my life. I started reading the books when there were only 3 in the series, and since then have seen almost all the movies on opening night, and went to book 5-7's midnight book release parties. I obviously own all the books and movies, as well as figures, statues, clothes, etc. I'm a HUGE HUGE HUGE fan of HP, and it makes me teary eyed to think that it's over. Sure, we can read the books again, or watch the movies but it won't be the same. We won't wonder what comes next, or how the movies will compare to the books. After the last book, I was pretty sad, but there was always the movies left to look forward to. I pretty much bawled at Part 1, but I knew that I still had Part 2 to look ahead. What now? To me, there will never be another book, movie, intellectual property, that I will feel apart of like I do with Harry Potter. I look forward to watching the last movie this weekend (I decided not to go to the midnight showing, because I wanted to make sure I felt good and enjoyed it, instead of being tired and grumpy), and dread it all the same. I plan to bring TONS of tissues, since just the thought of it, and the trailer makes me cry. This may sound stupid, but I feel like there will be a feeling of loss when it's over. I plan to read all the books again, and watch all the movies in a long marathon (when Part 2 comes out on blu-ray), but it will never be like the first time. So, I want to thank J.K Rowling for making such an incredible story, for shaping people's childhoods and for making Young Adult fiction what it is today. Without you, I wouldn't write Young Adult books. Heck, I probably wouldn't even be a writer. I'm not ashamed to say that Harry Potter has shaped a part of me...and I already miss Harry and the gang.


Okay, enough of that. Thanks for sticking through it (if you did). On to FO Friday.

These are really crappy pictures, so I'm sorry for that, but I was so proud to have finished my cowl I had to share before it was finished blocking. I still have the buttons to pick out, but seeing as I was dreading the buttonholes, it's a feat to have finished. As you can see with the button hole picture, they suck, but I think they'll do. They're a little smaller than I wanted, and for some reason, two of them have yarn running through them, but if I find the right buttons, I can make it work. At least they're there, and when the cowl is on and buttoned, no one will know, right? Sorry for the semi-cheat post, since it's not 100% officially done. I'll share it next Friday as well, so you can see it completed.

Share your FOs!

Work-in-Progress Wednesday 49

Happy Wednesday everyone! I want to start off by apologizing that I've been bad about getting around to everyone's links from last week. I'm so sorry if I didn't get to your blog for WIPW or FO Friday, but frankly, it's hard to keep up! As you can see from my Candy Skein post, I was very busy dyeing yarn, not that I'm complaining! I just feel bad when I don't get around to commenting. I try to read each post and comment, and feel that if I'm going to quickly click each and just say something about the picture, it wouldn't give yours posts a fair shake. That being said, I have to watch my nieces this week, so I won't get to many today, but I promise to try to visit all of them by Thursday night. ::crossing fingers::

Now to this week's knitting!




Well, that doesn't look like the cowl, does it? You guessed it. I started something new instead of doing the button band for it. You can just call me a coward now and get it over with. Instead, I started the pleated skirt I've been dying to make! It's knit in short rows, all garter stitch. This is my first time trying to do the wrap around & knit thing to not cause holes. Actually, who am I kidding, this is the first time I've done short rows that weren't socks. With a little help from my Monday night knitting group (I just love them!!!), I think I understand, but we'll see. Thanks Teri! Oh yes, and you probably want to know the yarn, right? I'm doing it in Knit Picks Stroll Tonal in Thunderhead. It's soooo pretty! Get used to looking at this project, because it is going to take awhile!




Next up is this really close up picture of the monster I'm knitting. I don't want to show more of it than this because it's for a monster swap I'm doing and JUST in case she checks out the blog, I don't want to ruin too much of the surprise. He's going pretty good, and I'm happy so far! :)


Well, that's it for me this week. What are you working on?

Please remember to use the new link to your post from this week, overriding the one that Mr. Linky saves from the previous. I've had quite a few links still linking to their old posts, or links that go straight to their blog's URL instead of the actual posts URL. Thanks!

For those that are new to WIPW, to share your WIPW post with us, just fill out the Mr. Linky below. Despite it saying you must comment, don't feel as if you do. That is something Mr. Linky automatically adds. I just ask you to check out a few of the links posted to see what everyone else is working on and comment there if you can. Everyone loves feedback and a little encouragement on their projects! Also, please link back to this post in your post to get the word out! The more the merrier!

Candy Skein- Fingering weight is here!

I have been on a dyeing frenzy again, which has been so much fun. The only downside? It is HOT when I have the pots going, especially a few at the same time. I don't have air conditioning, so you can just imagine. Luckily, it's been in the mid 80's so not TOO hot, but still not so much fun as far as that's concerned.

I wanted to get as much fingering weight available to you all due to awesomeness that is going on in the Candy Skein Ravelry group! We'll be doing a KAL/CAL starting August 1st and ending Sept 15th. We'll be making shawls (any pattern you'd like), using Candy Skein yarn. So, if you have a hank of Candy Skein around, or have been thinking of purchasing some and you'd love to join along, just let us know in this thread! Also, order now, and I can mail the yarn out to you right away so you have it in time for the fun. You can also contact me for a custom color you'd like in fingering weight. Please email me or post a comment ASAP so I can make sure I have the un-dyed yarn available for you.

I will probably be attempting the Springtime Bandit, but have yet to pick my colorway, but I will be using Delicious fingering weight. Anyone have suggestions on color?

Now onto today's new skeins!

This week, I have two different types of yarn. First off is Yummy Fingering weight (more to come next week, too!), which this time around is 75% Falkland British Merino, 25% Nylon. Next, I have a few skeins of Delicious Fingering available (more to come next week, as well!) which is like it's lace weight sister, 70% baby alpaca, 20% silk, 10% cashmere. This is a light fingering in gauge.

Due to the amount I'm sharing, I will be only posting the close up picture of each. Please visit Candy Skein for all pictures of each hank.


Yummy Fingering:

Colorway: Blackberry
Series: Yummy
Fiber content: 75% FB Merino Wool, 25% Nylon Superwash
Weight: Fingering Weight
Yardage: 465 yards
Unit Weight: 100 grams
Care: Machine wash/Tumble dry low

Price: $16
Quantity Available: 1
Available at Candy Skein

Colorway: Raspberry and Cream
Series: Yummy
Fiber content: 75% FB Merino Wool, 25% Nylon Superwash
Weight: Fingering Weight
Yardage: 465 yards
Unit Weight: 100 grams
Care: Machine wash/Tumble dry low

Price: $16
Quantity Available: 1
Available at Candy Skein

Colorway: Berry Salad
Series: Yummy
Fiber content: 75% FB Merino Wool, 25% Nylon Superwash
Weight: Fingering Weight
Yardage: 465 yards
Unit Weight: 100 grams
Care: Machine wash/Tumble dry low

Price: $16
Quantity Available: 1
Available at Candy Skein

Colorway: Lemon Lime
Series: Yummy
Fiber content: 75% FB Merino Wool, 25% Nylon Superwash
Weight: Fingering Weight
Yardage: 465 yards
Unit Weight: 100 grams
Care: Machine wash/Tumble dry low

Price: $16
Custom Dyed, Sold




Colorway: Pink Bubblegum
Series: Yummy
Fiber content: 75% FB Merino Wool, 25% Nylon Superwash
Weight: Fingering Weight
Yardage: 465 yards
Unit Weight: 100 grams
Care: Machine wash/Tumble dry low

Price: $16
Quantity Available: 1
Available at Candy Skein

Colorway: Blue Bubblegum
Series: Yummy
Fiber content: 75% FB Merino Wool, 25% Nylon Superwash
Weight: Fingering Weight
Yardage: 465 yards
Unit Weight: 100 grams
Care: Machine wash/Tumble dry low

Price: $16
Quantity Available: 0
Custom Dyed, Sold





Delicious Fingering:

Colorway: Blue Bubblegum
Series: Delicious
Fiber content: 70% Baby Alpaca, 20% Silk, 10% Cashmere
Weight: Light Fingering Weight
Yardage: 437 yards
Unit Weight: 100 grams
Care: Hand wash/Dry Flat

Price: $28
Quantity Available: 0
SOLD






Colorway: Cafe au lait
Series: Delicious
Fiber content: 70% Baby Alpaca, 20% Silk, 10% Cashmere
Weight: Light Fingering Weight
Yardage: 437 yards
Unit Weight: 100 grams
Care: Hand wash/Dry Flat

Price: $28
Quantity Available: 1
Available at Candy Skein

Colorway: Blackberry
Series: Delicious
Fiber content: 70% Baby Alpaca, 20% Silk, 10% Cashmere
Weight: Light Fingering Weight
Yardage: 437 yards
Unit Weight: 100 grams
Care: Hand wash/Dry Flat

Price: $28
Quantity Available: 1
Available at Candy Skein




Colorway: Peach Pleasure
Series: Delicious
Fiber content: 70% Baby Alpaca, 20% Silk, 10% Cashmere
Weight: Light Fingering Weight
Yardage: 437 yards
Unit Weight: 100 grams
Care: Hand wash/Dry Flat

Price: $28
Quantity Available: 1
Available at Candy Skein





Colorway: Brain Freeze
Series: Delicious
Fiber content: 70% Baby Alpaca, 20% Silk, 10% Cashmere
Weight: Light Fingering Weight
Yardage: 437 yards
Unit Weight: 100 grams
Care: Hand wash/Dry Flat

Price: $28
Quantity Available: 0
SOLD

Colorway: Lemon Lime
Series: Delicious
Fiber content: 70% Baby Alpaca, 20% Silk, 10% Cashmere
Weight: Light Fingering Weight
Yardage: 437 yards
Unit Weight: 100 grams
Care: Hand wash/Dry Flat

Price: $28
Quantity Available: 0
Custom Dyed, Sold